For the history buffs: Lincoln and sucession?

Question

Why was the election of Lincoln in 1863 or whatever it was the last straw for the South? I know he was republican, but why did they secede immediately after his election? And if you know can you explain the Wilmot Proviso, Kansas-Nebraska Act, and umm the expansion into Oregon country

Answer 1

Lincoln's views on slavery seemed to change depending on where he was speaking, but he said and wrote over and over, that as President he would have no power to interfere with slavery where it existed, "nor any desire to." He was definitely against any further expansion of slavery, however.

He was also in favor of several other things the Southerners had problems with, including using Federal money for internal improvements which would benefit mostly Northern industries. He was in favor of raising tarriffs, as they accounted for practically all federal revenue. The South paid the bulk of these tarriffs, and they didn't like paying most of the money which would be spent elsewhere to benefit other people. They especially didn't like being forced to do it.

Slavery was protected by the Constitution; it would have to have been amended, as it was in 1865, before slavery could be forcibly ended where it existed. Congress was a long way from having enough votes to do that. If the Western territories were off-limits to slavery, they eventually would have, however.

Other interests of the Southerners were only protected by congressional representation, which they were losing. Lincoln was an outspoken proponent of policies the Southerners objected to, and knew he would push bills through Congress that would hurt the South, and they would have no recourse in Congress.

Lincoln was elected without a single electoral vote from any of the Southern states. The South found itself entirely at the mercy of the North in Congress and now in the Executive office. Following in the example of their grandfathers and great-grandfathers, they decided to separate themselves, and form their own country.

Answer 2

Lincoln was elected President in 1860 and took office in 1861 (I hope your guessing of the year isn't a sign of how bad American education has gotten).

The South would probably have seceded even if Lincoln hadn't won the election, he just happened to be the guy who had to deal with it. Many Southerners did have a problem with him being a Northerner and professed anti-slavery advocate, but it is doubtful that war would have been avoided if Stephen Douglas had won instead.

The Kansas-Nebraska Act established that every state admitted after its implementation would determine for itself whether to allow slavery or not.

I'll leave the Wilmot Proviso and expansion into Oregon for another day.

Answer 3

Seccession was a constitutional issue, slavery or the abolition thereof they expected Lincoln to declare, was just the ignition. I doubt any war was ever fought for moral reasons, lets be honest. Lincoln was not willing to scarifice the nation for abolition, like Jefferson and others who tried to abolish slavery at the beginning, he had to hope in time men would evolve to understand the "peculiar institution" was barbaric, and in conflict with the religion which slaveowners didn't like to think about on sunday. Lincoln campaigned in 1859, took oath in 1860, he had not yet had a real "victory" in the war until Vicksburg and Gettysburg, and the surrender monkeys were just as active back then too. the concern the South had was that with every new state admitted, that they would eventually outweigh the plantation states and pass abolition, the "tyranny of the many over the few" and the "states rights" issue, which made a good legal case for the right of seccession, seemed to the South to be the obvious answer. And after the war. Lincoln could very well been impeached and put on trial for the things he did, stretching the Constitution, because the founders had not foreseen or dealt with such an issue and he had no precedent or law to go by, he did not have clear wording of authority to keep a state in the Union if it wanted out.

Answer 4

They knew that Lincoln was staunchly anti-slavery and pro-Union and feared what he would do next. I think most southern states thought that the Union as a whole though would do next to nothing and let them go without much fuss. And that is where the southern leadership made a most grievous error in judgment. Slavery was really one thing to northerners, but dissolution of the Union was quite another.

Answer 5

OK it was the last straw for the south (most notably south carolina) because lincoln won without majority voting from any of the southern states, the southern states realized that thye had no say in government and slowly one after the other started seceding. (basic reason)

U.S. History finals eh?

To your other questions (LOOK THEM UP ON WIKIPEDIA hahah)

Answer 6

the south left because Lincoln said he was going to raise the taxes on cotton. u have to remember this wasn't the first time south Carolina had tried to leave the Union they also tried in Jacksons term but didn't have the other states to back them like they did this time. so many kids don't realize or are not taught this in school any more they are taught that it was all over slavery but this is not the truth.